Diaper with pleat for forming a feces bag



y 1967 E. M. DANIEL 3,322,122

DIAPER WITH PLEAT FOR FORMING A FECES BAG Filed Jan. 22, 19 64 {J g IE5.

IN VENTOR.

M Daniel BY ,MNW

' Affarflgvs United States Patent 3,322,122 DIAPER WITH PLEAT FOR FORMING A FECES BAG Emily M. Daniel, Rte. 1, Box 49, Gardendale, Ala. 35071 Filed Jan. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 339,444 3 Claims. (Ci. 128-284) This invention relates to a diaper and more particularly to a diaper which not only is adjustable to accommodate various size babies but one which is comfortable to wear.

An object of my invention is to provide a diaper which shall have an inwardly extending pleat which is adapted to expand in response to movement of the baby where-by the diaper conforms to the body of the baby and does not rub its legs as it crawls.

Another object of my invention is to provide a diaper of the character designated which shall include an expandible bottom portion which forms a package for bowel movements of the baby whereby its legs are maintained in a clean condition at all times.

Another object of my invention is to provide a diaper of the character designated in which a pleat extends along the inner surface of the diaper from a point adjacent the front center of the diaper to a point adjacent the rear center of the diaper whereby sufiicient bulk is in position to absorb urine or other liquids.

Another object of my invention is to provide a diaper of the character designated in which the pleat along the inner surface of the diaper is open with the exception of end portions thereof whereby the front portion of the diaper is expandible as well as a rear portion thereof, thus particularly adapting the diaper for use with boy babies.

A further object of my invention is to provide a diaper of the character designated wherein the bulk materials are positioned in proper location to absorb liquids without interfering with the comfort of the baby.

A further object of my invention is to provide a diaper which shall have forwardly opening leg openings therein which permit the legs'to project forwardly in a natural manner.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a diaper of the character designated which shall be simple of construction, economical of manufacture and one which is neat in appearance and requires no pins.

Heretofore in the art to which my invention relates, various types of diapers have been proposed. However, so far as I am aware, such diapers have been unsatisfactory due to the fact that they do not provide free movement of the baby as it crawls. In such diapers the bulky material is positioned whereby it interferes with the comfort of the baby. Also, such diapers do not conform to the size and contour of the body of the baby as it moves. In accordance with my invention, I overcome these difficulties by providing an expandible diaper which is provided with bulk material in the correct locations for absorbing liquids. Also, the diaper is expandible to provide a package for receiving bowel movements to thereby maintain the legs of the baby in a clean condition while he crawls or moves about.

Apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a developed view showing a sheet of material cut to the proper shape to form my improved diaper;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view showing the sheet of material of FIG. 1 folded on itself;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing the sheet of material of FIG. 2 folded on itself whereby the pleat stitches are made;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing the inside of the diaper after the pleat is formed therein;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6. is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view showing the diaper in assembled position with the fastener elements connected to each other to form a large size diaper; and,

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the assembled diaper showing the fastener elements attached to each other to form a smaller size diaper.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of my invention, I show a sheet of material 10 which preferably comprises two or more individual layers of fabric. The sheet of material 10 is cut to the shape shown in FIG. 1 and is then folded on itself as at 11 whereby the folded layers assume the shape shown in FIG. 2. The sheet of material is thus provided with a relatively wide portion 12 adjacent one edge 13 thereof and tapers toward the opposite edge 14 thereof to provide tapered sides 16 and 17 and a relatively narrow front portion 18. The layers of material forming the sheet 10 are secured to each other along the side edges 16 and 17, as shown.

With the sheet 10 thus assembled, it is folded on itself, as shown in FIG. 3. The folded sheet of material is then stitched as at 19 and 21 adjacent the edges 13 and 14, respectively. The stitches 19 and 21 extend a relatively short distance inwardly of the edges 13 and 14, as shown in FIG. 3, to provide an elongated pleat 22 which extends from the central portion of the edge 13 to the central portion of the edge 14, as shown in FIG. 4. The pleat 22 is thus provided with folds 23 and 24 which are secured to each other at the juncture of the pleat 22 with the sheet of material 10 adjacent the edges 13 and 14. Accordingly, relatively short stitched pleat sections are provided adjacent the edges 13 and 14 while the intermediate portion of the pleat is free to expand as at 26.

With the pleat 22 thus formed in the sheet of material 10, female fastener elements 27 are secured to the inner surface of the winding portion 12 adjacent one end thereof. In like manner, female fastener elements 28 are secured to the inner surface of the widened portion 12 adjacent the other end thereof, as shown in FIG. 4. Male fastener elements 29 are secured to the outer surface of the sheet of material 10 adjacent the fastener elements 28, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. A female fastener element 31 is secured to the inner surface of the sheet of material 10 intermediate the fastener elements 29, as shown in FIG. 4. Secured to the outer surface of the narrow front portion 18 adjacent opposite sides of the pleat 22 are male fastener elements 32.

From the foregoing description, the use of my improved diaper will be readily understood. When the diaper is to be used on a large baby, the baby is placed on the diaper with the pleat 22 adjacent the baby. The front portion 18 is pulled upwardly, as shown in FIG. 7, whereby the male fastener elements 32 are in position to engage the female fastener elements 27 and 28 to thus hold the diaper in assembled position. The pleat 22 being open intermediate the stitches 19 and 21 permits expansion of the entire bottom area of the diaper up to the point that the stitches commence. Preferably, the stitches extend approximately 2 /2 inches from the edges 13 and 14 whereby a substantial length of open pleat is provided. Accordingly, as the baby crawls, the diaper expands to accommodate the body and legs of the baby to thereby reduce the amount of relative movement between the baby and the diaper. Accordingly, the diaper does not rub the legs of the baby as it crawls. Also, the diaper is neat in appearance since the pleat 22 holds the bulk of the diaper in a neat and comfortable position and at the location where it is needed most. That is,

the pleat 22 is in position to abosrb urine and other liquids and at the same time is free to expand to form a package for bowel movements whereby the legs of the baby remain in a clean and dry condition.

To accommodate the diaper for use on a smaller baby, the female fastener element 31 is snapped onto the centermost male fastener element 32 carried by the right-hand side of the front portion 18, as viewed in FIG. 4. The female fastener elements 28 are then snapped onto the male fastener elements 32 carried by the other side of the front portion 18. The female fastener elements 27 are then snapped onto the male fastener elements 29 whereby the diaper assumes the position shown in FIG. 8.

By providing side portions 16 and 17 for the diaper which taper toward the edge 14 and curve inwardly toward the pleat 22, relatively large and uniform leg openings are provided for the baby whereby the legs are adapted to project forwardly in a natural manner. Also, there is a minimum of rubbing action between the side edges 16 and 17 and the legs of the baby. This freedom of movement of the legs relative to the diaper openings is made possible.

by the provision of the pleat 22 which expands.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have devised an improved diaper which is extremely simple of construction and manufacture and one which is comfortable to wear. By providing a diaper which is adapted to expand to conform to the contour of the body of the baby, there is a minimum of rubbing. Also, by providing a pleat which extends from the upper rear edge of the diaper to the upper front edge thereof a uniform mass of absorbent material is provided in position to absorb liquids and at the same time the pleat is adapted to expand. Furthermore, by providing a diaper which may be readily adjusted to accommodate various size babies, the baby does not outgrow the diaper.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A diaper comprising:

(a) a sheet of material of a width adjacent one edge thereof to substantially encircle the waist of a baby with the sides of said sheet tapering toward the opposite edge thereof to define a relatively narrow front portion for the diaper adjacent said opposite edge and a relatively wide portion for the diaper adjacent said one edge,

(b) an intermediate portion of said sheet of material being folded on itself to define a continuous pleat on the inner side of the diaper extending from a point adjacent the center of said one edge to a point adjacent the center of said opposite edge,

(0) means securing the folds of said pleat to each other at the juncture of said pleat with said sheet of material adjacent said one edge and adjacent said opposite edge to define a pleat having secured end portions and an open unsecured intermediate portion whereby said intermediate portion is adapted to expand, and (d) means detachably connecting the ends of said wide portion to said front portion with said pleat positioned inwardly of said sheet of material.

2. A diaper as defined in claim 1 in which the tapered sides of the sheet curve inwardly said pleat to define leg openings which permit free movement of the legs of a baby. i e

3. A diaper as defined in claim 1 in which the means to detachably connect the ends of said wide portion'to said front portion comprises:

(a) fastener elements carried by said front portion, and

(b) cooperating fastener elements carried by the ends of said wide portion and adapted to engage the fastener elements carried by said front portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,525,396 10/1950 Brennan 128284' 2,607,348 8/ 1952 Rosenblatt 128-284 3,180,335 4/1965 Duncan et al. 128287' FOREIGN PATENTS 629,968 10/ 1949 Great Britain. 790,062 2/1958 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. ROBERT E. MORGAN, Examiner.

L. W. TRAPP, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DIAPER COMPRISING: (A) A SHEET OF MATERIAL OF A WIDTH ADJACENT ONE EDGE THEREOF TO SUBSTANTIALLY ENCIRCLE THE WAIST OF A BABY WITH THE SIDES OF SAID SHEET TAPERING TOWARD THE OPPOSITE EDGE THEREOF TO DEFINE A RELATIVELY NARROW FRONT PORTION FOR THE DIAPER ADJACENT SAID OPPOSITE EDGE AND A RELATIVELY WIDE PORTION FOR THE DIAPER ADJACENT SAID ONE EDGE, (B) AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID SHEET OF MATERIAL BEING FOLDED ON ITSELF TO DEFINE A CONTINUOUS PLEAT ON THE INNER SIDE OF THE DIAPER EXTENDING FROM A POINT ADJACENT THE CENTER OF SAID ONE EDGE TO A POINT ADJACENT THE CENTER OF SAID OPPOSITE EDGE, (C) MEANS SECURING THE FOLDS OF SAID PLEAT TO EACH OTHER AT THE JUNCTURE OF SAID PLEAT WITH SAID SHEET OF MATERIAL ADJACENT SAID ONE EDGE AND ADJACENT SAID OPPOSITE EDGE TO DEFINE A PLEAT HAVING SECURED END PORTIONS AND AN OPEN UNSECURED INTERMEDIATE PORTION WHEREBY SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION IS ADAPTED TO EXPAND, AND (D) MEANS DETACHABLY CONNECTING THE ENDS OF SAID WIDE PORTION TO SAID FRONT PORTION WITH SAID PLEAT POSITIONED INWARDLY OF SAID SHEET OF MATERIAL. 